By Donald Gilpin

The week-long Nassau Hall sit-in by Princeton Students for Title IX Reform (PIXR) ended last Wednesday, May 15, but the protesters, not satisfied with the University’s response to their demands for reform of Princeton’s sexual misconduct policies, are continuing their efforts on several fronts.

The students continue to regroup in front of Nassau Hall for a short time every day to voice their ongoing concerns and to count down the days until the Reunions Weekend, when they have promised to demonstrate. They have also reached out to alumni to urge a commitment to not donate to the University. “In support of the current protests in favor of Title IX Reform, we are asking you to please join us as we pledge to NOT participate in Annual Giving to the University until our demands are met,” the letter reads.

PIXR leaders announced the end of the sit-in last Wednesday, immediately following a demonstration in front of Prospect House, where Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber was meeting with six of the protesters inside the building. It was Eisgruber’s first formal interaction with the protesters since the beginning of the sit-in, though on Friday, May 10 he authorized an external review of the University’s Title IX office.

Following a meeting with the protesters on Monday, May 13, the Faculty-Student Committee on Sexual Misconduct and the University Student Life Committee promised a timeline for further dialogue on Title IX reform, with meetings planned with students over the summer and a town hall-style event to be scheduled in the coming weeks, as well as a final report in the fall of 2019.

Following last Wednesday’s meeting with representative PIXR students, Eisgruber released a statement presenting his views on how the community can best move forward in addressing students’ concerns and the issue of sexual misconduct. He emphasized the importance of working through the “University’s governance processes” in any attempts to achieve reforms.

“This afternoon, I met personally with some of the concerned students and listened to their views,” wrote Eisgruber in his statement. “I appreciate their commitment to improving our campus, and I hope that it will produce constructive change.”

He continued, “If policy changes are to occur, however, they must take place through this  University’s governance processes. Those processes are designed to ensure that when Princeton reforms its rules, including its disciplinary procedures, it does so in a way that is deliberative, well-informed, fair, and open to all views and perspectives.”

He further noted, “The damage done by sexual misconduct is heartbreaking. We must address these harms through policies that are simultaneously fair, compassionate, and effective: sexual misconduct has no place at Princeton, and the University remains firmly committed to making its campus safe for all who work or study here.”

The PIXR students, however, remain unpersuaded. “The protest is far from over,” says a statement on their website. “We walked out of a meeting with President Eisgruber with no promises. The administration is still not listening. We are holding you accountable, Princeton.”

Describing her disappointment with the University’s response, PIXR member Jamie O’Leary, a graduating senior, claimed that Eisgruber was “committed to inaction, an extension of the attitude the administration has shown us throughout the process.”

She noted that the protesters would hold a town hall meeting on their own terms in the coming week. Administrators would be invited, she said, but PIXR would be setting the agenda. A statement issued by PIXR referred to “President Eisgruber’s obstinacy on this issue” and stated, “The protesters have decided to return agency to survivors by holding their own town hall for community members to express their grievances, share their experiences, and seek ways to make the campus safer.… It is required that one agree to enter the space with the intent of truly listening to student voices.”